Summary
This position is located in the Nutrition and Food Service at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Cheyenne, WY. The person in this position prepares nutritious, high qualify meals for service to the Veterans.
Clarification from the agency
ALL US CITIZENS
DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.201) for this occupation.
Duties
Cooks play an important role in the health and safety of Veteran patients, applying their knowledge of special dietary food preparation, food tray assembly, and patient service.
Duties
As a member of the N&FS team, the primary purpose of this position is to perform a wide variety of tasks that require knowledge of food service operations related to advanced food production. This includes a broad knowledge of food operations pertaining to compliance with food safety and infection control guidelines, portion control, serving, delivering and/or stocking food items, washing dishes and/or cleaning as assigned. Additional duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
Prepares and cooks meals that require little or no processing, such as hot cereals, concentrated or dehydrated soups, sauces, and gravies
- Follows menus, production sheets, and recipes to proper items in the quantity needed
- Grills eggs, meat patties, pancakes, French toast; broils meats; makes cold sandwich fillings and assembles a variety of sandwiches
- Prepares fresh, canned, and frozen vegetables; bakes frozen potatoes, pre-made cookie dough, and muffin batters
- Prepares and heats convenience items such as frozen hash browns, fish fillets, and chicken nuggets; Prepares purred foods and adjusts consistency with thickeners
- Washes, peels, and cuts fruits and vegetables; assembles and mixes salad ingredients and dessert items, including gelatin molds and fruit crisps
- Weighs, measures, and assembles ingredients for regular and modified diets
- Operates a variety of kitchen equipment and follows appropriate safety procedures
- Follows sanitary food handling procedures
- Disassembles and reassembles equipment for cleaning
- Cleans and sanitizes work areas, and performs deep cleaning tasks when needed
- Operates dish machine
- Performs other related duties
Work Schedule: Nutrition and Food Services operates Sunday - Saturday. Incumbent will serve 5 days per week, 8 hours per day in one of two shifts, either 6:00 AM (MST) - 2:30 PM (MST) or 11 :00 AM (MST) - 7:30 PM (MST). Schedules are set according to the needs of the Service.
Position Description Title/PD#: Cook/PD99819S
Physical Requirements: Subject to continuous standing, walking, frequent bending, reaching, pushing and pulling. Lifts or moves objects weighing up to 40 lbs. unassisted. Manipulates cumbersome and heavy objects, such as washing stainless steel mixing bowls, pushing heavy carts on caster, or operating heavy equipment. Manual dexterity needed to safely operate equipment and to handle sharp knives and blades. Hand-eye coordination and ability to concentrate and react quickly to serve food and operate equipment.
Working Conditions: Performs work in areas of temperature extremes. Work is carried out in kitchen/dish room areas that are often hot, uncomfortable, and noisy. Environment includes exposure to extreme cold while working in walk-in refrigerators and freezers for extended periods of time to complete duties. Works with other cooks, food service workers, and supervisors. Exposed to stems, cooking odors, and noise from equipment and conversation. Subject to hazards of cuts, bruises, strains, burns and falls in kitchen equipment. Strong cleaning and sanitizing solutions may be skin and respiratory irritants. Performs work in patient care settings where there may be exposure to contagious disease. May have contact with patients who demonstrate verbally and/or physically aggressive behavior. Required to wear proper hair covering and clean uniform. Wear disposable gloves when handling food for service, and proper protective equipment when completing cleaning activities.
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
- Subject to a background/suitability investigation
- Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
- May serve a probationary period
- Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
- A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc.
- Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
Qualifications
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
EXPERIENCE: A specific length of training and experience is not required, but you must show evidence of training or experience of sufficient scope and quality of your ability to do the work of this position. Evidence which demonstrates you possess the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform the duties of this position must be supported by detailed descriptions of such on your resume. Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualification Standards.
SCREEN-OUT ELEMENT: Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element, which usually appears as question 1 in the on-line questionnaire. Those applicants who appear to possess at least the minimal acceptable qualification requirement are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated. The potential eligibles are then rated against the remainder of the Job Elements:
- Ability To Do The Work Of The Position Without More Than Normal Supervision (Screen-out Element)
- Work Practices (including keeping things neat, clean, and in order)
- Technical Practices (theoretical, precise, artistic)
- Ability to Interpret Instructions, Specifications, etc. (other than blueprints)
- Ability To Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment
- Knowledge of Materials
- Dexterity and Safety
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.
Education
This job does not have an education qualification requirement.
Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received.
Documents Accepted:
- Cover Letter
- Other (1)
- Resume
- Separation Notice (RIF)
- SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
Documents Required:
Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application. Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information. Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted.
Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position.
Applications are accepted online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application.
All applicants are encouraged to apply online.
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 12/29/2023 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12125830.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
Next steps
After the vacancy announcement closes, applicants are evaluated to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email.
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